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Daniel Hadavi
Professor Justin Weiss
COMS 356, Tu 7:00 PM
27 September 2016
Reading Response #2 McIntosh and Martin
The McIntosh and Martin articles both discuss three things in great detail: (a) white
privilege, (b) white identity and what constitutes white identity, and finally (c) an individuals
relationship to white privilege, more specifically the lived experiences both in advantageous and
disadvantageous contexts. Both articles elaborate on the issues of race relations through
relatively similar standpoints. Peggy McIntosh and Judith N. Martin both discuss and analyze the
issues mentioned through the standpoint of white female college professors. White privilege as
well as white identity are discussed in isolation as well as in their relationships to their opposites.
Additionally, the articles discuss how white privilege, more specifically male white privilege, is
often denied outright, and in this lies the real issue. Ultimately, these topics are brought up in a
communication studies context to both better understand their pervasive natures and hopefully
seek to engage in a constructive dialogue.
Peggy McIntosh begins her discussion of white privilege by analyzing male privilege in
society. The comparison is struck between male and white privilege arguing that, in her
experience, the male students in her class would be unwilling to grant that they are
overprivileged, even though they may grant that women are disadvantaged (McIntosh, 1990).
This comparison is extended to the dichotomy of black disadvantage and white privilege. The
similar argument is made that whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege, as
males are taught not to recognize male privilege (McIntosh, 1990). She even goes so far as to
list a comprehensive list of 26 advantages afforded by white privilege, some of which go
unrecognized. Ultimately, McIntosh defines white privilege as a corollary of race between white

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and black culture where whites are privileged, but both passively and actively choose not to
recognize it, and blacks are disenfranchised and disadvantaged.
Judith N. Martin discusses white identity and what it comprises. She argues that white
identity is developed through communication. Citing scholars Michael Hecht, Mary Jane Collier,
and Sidney Ribeau (1993), cultural identities are, negotiated, co-created, reinforced, and
challenged through communication. These identities are developed through a system of
communication and are defined in their relation to other such identities. The white identity is
related in a binary as being both invisible and reala privilege and a liability. (Martin, 1997).
Martin goes on to state that white identity is difficult to discern, but is a grouping of racial and
ethnic elements mixed with power. Echoing much of what Peggy McIntosh stated in her article,
Martin argues that white identity is a structural advantage of race privilege that goes
unrecognized by the individuals who maintain it.
White privilege permeates American culture in many ways. A college student reaching
the culmination of their studies is sure to have encountered privilege or disadvantage as it relates
to white identity, or lack thereof. A relevant example comes to mind when discussing white
privilege in the education system. The migration of students out of their districts to wealthier
areas is very common. This transfer is granted based on a permit system, accepted and denied on
the merits of grades and other factors. When these permits are granted they are usually issued to
students moving from lower income school systems to higher income systems, generally creating
a less racially diverse population in the education system. The trend keeps the minorities in the
inner city, low income school systems, while the white students are kept in high income school
districts. This observation is likely shared by many California students who have observed the
permit system at work in their own local schools working to limit racial diversity.

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Works Cited
Hecht, M, Collier, M. J., and Ribeau, S. (1993). African-American Communication, Newbury
Park, Calif.: Sage.
Martin, J.N. (1997). Understanding whiteness in the United States. In L. A. Samovar & R.E.
Porter (Eds.) Intercultural communication: A reader. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth
McIntosh, P. (1990). White privilege: Unpacking the invisible knapsack. Independent School.